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Meritorious Pursuit?
Palestinian unity pact weakened by preponderance of red flags.
T
he Egypt-brokered unity
Fatah as saying on P.A. TV it’s
agreement between
“the Palestinian people’s right
Hamas and Fatah, the
to wage an armed struggle
Palestinians’ top political fac-
against the occupation using
tions, will rise or fall based on
all the methods.” Translated:
its ability to secure peace with
Terror is a suitable tactic in
Israel and invigorate a belea-
the Palestinian fight against
guered region.
Israel’s “occupation” of the
Robert Sklar
Here’s hoping the fragile
West Bank and its sea and land
Contributing Editor
accord will spur Hamas, a ter-
blockade of Gaza. In truth, the
rorist organization, and Fatah,
West Bank is disputed territory
which boasts terrorist wings, to
and the blockade is defensive
drastically reform. That, how-
against terror.
ever, seems remote given recent declara-
Action, of course, speaks louder than
tions by leaders of each group.
words. Despite the bluster, both Hamas
On Oct. 19, accord-
and Fatah, to create a climate for
ing to the Associated
regional calm, could choose to renounce
Press, Yahya Sinwar,
all terror and join direct bilateral talks
Hamas’ Gaza Strip
with Israel in pursuit of two states, one
leader, told a gathering Jewish and one Palestinian, existing
of Palestinian youths:
side by side in peace, with safe, secure
“The discussion is no
borders.
longer about recogniz-
The burden is on the P.A., viewed by
ing Israel, but about
the West as politically moderate, to pre-
Yahya Sinwar
wiping Israel out.”
vent Hamas or Fatah from allowing the
Sinwar made it
seeds of terror to emanate from either
clear Hamas not
the West Bank or Gaza. Israel has no
only wouldn’t disarm, but also would
choice but to remain on guard — and
strengthen its “military might.” He said
react accordingly.
Hamas would start yet another war with
Time will tell.
Israel if it felt threatened.
Not surprisingly, Sinwar also said
PEACE OBSTACLES
Hamas wouldn’t sever ties with Iran,
Yahya Sinwar named some of the Israel-
held terrorists he wanted released as
a state sponsor of terror that also has
part of any peace deal.
vowed to repel “the Zionist entity.” He
The list included popu-
called it “delusional” to think Hamas
lar Palestinian leader
would break from Tehran.
Marwan Barghouti,
A DEEPER PERSPECTIVE
serving five life terms
On Oct. 6, reported Israel-based
after his conviction
Palestinian Media Watch, Fatah Central
by an Israeli court for
Committee Secretary
plotting three terrorist
Jibril Rajoub under-
attacks that killed five
Marwan Barghouti people in 2001-2002.
scored that the unity
deal didn’t mean Fatah
At the time of his 2002
or Hamas would give
arrest, he led Tanzim, a
up “popular resistance,” Fatah terror wing.
a Palestinian Authority
In 2006, Barghouti was elected to the
(P.A.) euphemism for
Fatah Central Committee. His name
violence and organized continues to be floated as a potential
Jibril Rajoub
terror against Israel.
successor to P.A. President Mahmoud
The P.A., via Fatah,
Abbas, 82. Abbas’ political stock has
governs Palestinian-
fallen amid Palestinian leadership
wrangling and lack of movement on the
controlled areas of the West Bank.
Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Presumably under unity, the P.A. would
Political infighting between Hamas and
provide umbrella governance for Fatah
rival Fatah prompted Fatah to impose
and Hamas.
punitive sanctions on, and a summer
“We want to achieve national unity
on the basis of true partnership,” Rajoub cutback in electricity to, poverty-ravaged
Gaza in apparent hopes of reclaim-
said in a Lebanese TV interview. He
meant achieving a unity government
ing leadership of the almost 2 million
bound by principles of “popular resis-
Palestinians who live there. Almost 3 mil-
tance” as imagined by the P.A.
lion Palestinians live in the mists of eco-
Palestinian Media Watch quotes
nomic challenge in the West Bank.
8
November 9 • 2017
jn
If Hamas and Fatah can’t come togeth-
er and competently address the everyday
plight of their own people, there’s no way
they’ll command the international cache
to lead the Palestinians back to negotiat-
ing with Israel.
TABLE SETTERS
For its part, the Trump administration
has stressed any Palestinian government
“must unambiguously and explicitly”
embrace nonviolence, recognize Israel
and respect prior Israeli-Palestinian
agreements. U.S. President Donald
Trump has made it a hallmark to rekin-
dle peace talks between Jerusalem and
the Ramallah-based P.A., the de facto
Palestinian government ousted from
Gaza by Hamas in 2007. The Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO), formerly
led by terror-monger Yasser Arafat, is
the chief negotiating representative for
the Palestinian people. What ties the
PLO back to the Palestinian Authority
given the briar patch of Palestinian lead-
ership blocs? President Abbas of the P.A.
chairs the PLO.
Responding to
Trump special envoy
to the peace process
Jason Greenblatt’s
call for Palestinian
leadership to coalesce
under the rubric of
the P.A., Hamas said
in a statement: “This
Jason Greenblatt
is blatant interference
in Palestinian affairs
because it is the right of our people to
choose its government according to
their supreme strategic interests.”
If those “supreme strategic interests”
don’t include such basic conditions as
halting terror, recognizing the Jewish
state and no longer serving as a proxy
for Iran, let alone tackling equally
thorny issues like returning the bodies
of two fallen Israeli soldiers being held
by Hamas and assuring the security of
border crossings between Gaza and the
West Bank, Israel won’t, and shouldn’t,
consider diplomatic negotiations with
a Palestinian government that includes
Hamas.
KEEPING VIGILANT
It’s important to remember the 2014
reconciliation attempt by Hamas and
Fatah collapsed under the weight of
Hamas’ charter mission to destroy
Israel. Hamas clearly isn’t inclined to
lay down its arms and slide its military
wing under P.A. command.
As we pause to commemorate
Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass,
which cast a line of violent anti-Jewish
pogroms perpetrated by Nazi Germany
on Nov. 9-10, 1938, Jews must stay mind-
ful that our enemies, like Palestinians
prone to hate us rather than those
willing to accept us, have always been
poised to blame us for perceived hard-
ship or despair.
Ultimately, there’s plenty of soul-
searching required on the part of
Fatah and Hamas, whose Oct. 12 unity
agreement awaits the imprimatur of a
November meeting in Cairo to flesh out
details for forming a consensus govern-
ment, including elections. •